The present invention concerns time-stamped data characterizing data flows.
Internet and wireless data flows need intelligent monitoring to facilitate a wide range of commercial interests. Software applications are used to monitor devices and other applications to generate metering information concerning data flows. Client billing, for example, may be aided by the monitoring of a client""s dataflow in a wireless network such as a cell phone service. Wired networks might also benefit from an ability to monitor dataflow. In an Internet service environment, Internet service providers (ISP""s), for example, can have a corresponding benefit from monitoring router traffic.
For these and other reasons, software such as the Hewlett Packard Internet Usage Manager(trademark) has been developed. The basic function of an application such as the Hewlett Packard Internet Usage Manager(trademark) is to collect time-stamped data for logs, statistics and diagnostics, performance analysis, planning, billing and other intelligent and administrative uses of the time-stamped data.
Various devices and/or software applications resident in devices generate time-stamped data. This data characterizes normalized metered events. The data includes a time stamp and some additional data. Using the example of a session server that controls ISP client connections to the Internet, the session server with monitoring software might generate normalized event data including a time stamp, an authentication of the client-subscriber, and data relating to the duration of connection. In a similar fashion, a proxy server acting as a client interface and firewall and including monitoring software might generate normalized event data including a time stamp, a server web page address and the Internet Protocol address (IP) of the client. In the case of a router with monitoring software, the router might generate normalized event data including a time stamp, an IP address of a sender/server, the IP address of the client, and a number of packets exchanged. In each case, the generated data is likely used to support a wide range of administrative services.
Metering and billing represent important administrative services requiring the normalized event data. The time-stamped normalized event data can be used to monitor data traffic levels. It can be used to check quality of service levels. It provides information to be plugged into other software and systems, e.g., inputs to billing systems. Generally, the conventional uses of the normalized event data have been restricted by its limited collection time duration. The conventional data flow monitoring applications, including the Hewlett Packard Internet Usage Manager(trademark), provide temporary databases of the time-stamped normalized event data from which the data is directed into separate applications, such as accounting applications. In an increasingly competitive data services environment, e.g., wireless data communication services and e-services environments, historical normalized event data to which sophisticated statistical analysis could be applied would be a boon as a provider sought to price its service competitively and profitably. Apart from pricing, the historical normalized event data would permit other forms of important statistical modeling to plan services, capacities, and other critical management activities.
The invention is a database indexing and rolling storage method for time-stamped normalized event data. Indexing of the normalized event database meets the goals of having a manageable storage database and enabling fast accessibility. A log reference step is not required to locate information in the database because the indexing of the invention utilizes the time-stamp information in assigning the location for storage. There accordingly is no need for a separate look-up operation to associate a time-stamped set of information, i.e., a table in a normalized event data database, because the indexing provides an unambiguous reference to a reusable storage location. Because the time-stamped indexing permits re-use of preplanned storage locations, the historical limits of the normalized event data may easily roll over. In other words, elimination of an oldest time period table of data while updating a new table of data is easily accounted for in the database indexing and rolling storage method of the present invention.